


take me away to someplace real

by kangyesbian



Category: K-pop, PRISTIN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, and yaebin may or may not be a dragon, kyungwon has a tiger for a pet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 18:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16101389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kangyesbian/pseuds/kangyesbian
Summary: minkyung had heard of the lands to the west and the creatures that lived there, the savage animals that fought to the death over the smallest disturbance, but she had never given them much thought. inside the fortified walls of her hometown, there was no need to worry.





	take me away to someplace real

**Author's Note:**

> if you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed me complaining about the fantasy au or the wow au a lot the last couple of months. yeah this is that disaster.

“and when the knight in shining armor threatened to drag the princess back to his kingdom and into danger, the brave dragon stood in front of her and roared as powerfully as he could. against the dragon’s fiery breath, the knight in shining armor didn’t stand a chance. the princess was safe.”

minkyung blinked up at her mother, hanging off her every word. her mother always told the best bedtime stories. she had a way of speaking that made them ten times more interesting than when anyone else tried to put her to sleep. with her, it sounded real.

“you shouldn’t tell her stories like that.”

the illusion was broken suddenly and minkyung’s head whipped around to see her father standing in the doorway to her bedroom, looking stiff. he always looked stiff.

“she’s going to learn the wrong things if you twist the stories like that,” he said, his gaze steely as he looked at her mother. minkyung wondered vaguely if she did something to upset him or if he just always looked like that. she couldn’t really remember it any other way.

“i like my stories,” her mother said, her voice full of grace and defiance. “and i think minkyung does too. don’t you, minkyung-ah?”

minkyung nodded enthusiastically, though she stopped short when her father’s eyes shifted to her. something about the look in his eyes unsettled her, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

“if you have decided you have time to decide what she hears, you’re more than welcome to tell the story yourself.” her mother squared her shoulders and met her father’s stare head on. minkyung thought she was brave. she was a little scared for a second at the thought he would take her up on it, if only to win the battle of wills she had started.

but her father would never waste his valuable time putting minkyung to bed. she knew that.

he hesitated for only a second before narrowing his eyes at her and letting out a breath. “hurry up and finish your business here. you’re needed beside me in the war council.”

“yes, your highness.” her words dripped with sarcasm, and minkyung glanced between them until her father had disappeared out of sight. she could feel the tension in the air, even if they never said anything about it to her. she was young, but she wasn’t dumb. she could feel her mother’s irritation even after he had left.

“you should sleep, poppet,” she said to minkyung, pulling the blankets up over her body to tuck her in.

“one more story, please,” minkyung begged, pouting. she would never be able to sleep with the sour taste her father had left in her mouth.

her mother paused, glancing behind her out the open doorway. “alright, but only a quick one. we don’t want your father to get upset.”

minkyung grinned and settled into the covers as her mother began her favorite story. she had heard it a million times already, but she knew her mother liked to tell it. it was the first one minkyung could remember.

“a long time ago, in a kingdom far far away, an elvish king looked out onto his kingdom and saw all that it had to offer. the elves were a peaceful and hardworking people who used their light magic to help their crops prosper and aid their neighbors in everyday tasks. the king was kind and good and his people adored him. they were in the middle of a golden age of prosperity and happiness.”

she took a seat on the edge of minkyung’s bed as she spoke, the familiar words lulling her to sleep.

“next to the elvish kingdom lay another kingdom, inhabited by humans and ruled by a selfish human king who wanted nothing but glory and prosperity for himself. the people of the kingdom were starving and underprivileged and they ended up having to fight for resources while the king lived a life of luxury in a giant castle with sprawling lands. the king saw the elvish kingdom to the west as an opportunity to further his life of privilege and devised a plan to steal their wealth and happiness. when he declared war on the peaceful elves, his people could do nothing but agree to join his army and fight. being in the army was the only way they could support their families, so humans turned up by the thousands to join the king’s troops and attack the wealthy elvish kingdom to the west.”

minkyung blinked, her eyelids heavy.

“the elves had never fought before, though their magic gave them a steep advantage over the humans. but they were untrained and outnumbered almost twenty to one. many of them knew they didn’t have a chance against the humans, so they cowered and let the humans steal their crops and wealth from right under their nose.”

minkyung heard her mother cut off suddenly, but she was too far gone to open her eyes again. vaguely she registered that her voice never returned, and the weight on the side of her bed disappeared, but she was asleep before she could wonder what was wrong.

the next morning, minkyung was awoken by a maid, her eyes red and distraught. when minkyung asked what was wrong, the maid burst into tears and told her that her mother was dead.

 

 

 

**twelve years later**

 

when minkyung burst through the door to the dining hall – twenty three minutes late, she knew – twenty pairs of eyes turned to look at her. the luncheon had already been in full swing despite her absence, and now the lords looked at her in silence as she heaved for breath in the entrance. her father, sitting at the head of the table, looked at her with harsh eyes.

“so nice of you to join us, minkyung-ah,” he said coldly. her younger brother, sitting directly on his right, hid a snicker behind his hand. “please take your seat.”

minkyung hurriedly bowed and took a seat towards the other end of the table. her father called attention back to himself and continued the meeting and minkyung tried to melt into the background. she hated war councils and diplomatic luncheons anyway. she didn’t know much about the inner workings of the military or the strategic movements of the troops. she wished her father would leave her out of war dealings, but to no avail. it was her duty as the royal heir to be present at every council meeting.

one of the maids brought her a plate of food and she picked at it delicately – the last thing she needed was to make a mess or draw any more attention to herself. she could always grab lunch with kyungwon later.

“minkyung-ah, stay behind,” her father called out as the maids cleared the table at the conclusion of the council. he dismissed the lords with civility and they filed out, but only a few of them even glanced at minkyung as she stayed rooted to her seat. she had been hoping to flee the dining hall before her father could focus his attention back on her.

when the room was empty save for her family, minkyung leaned forward and rested her elbows on the tablecloth. her brother glanced between her and her father and minkyung tried hard to avoid both of their eyes.

“late again, minkyung?” her father began, his voice harsh. minkyung kept her eyes down and tried not to visibly flinch. “don’t be rude. look at me when i am speaking to you.”

minkyung bit the inside of her lip and met his eyes. they were dark.

“this behavior is unacceptable. i expect more from my heir, you know that.”

“yes, father,” minkyung answered on cue. mainly because she knew keeping her mouth shut would only cause more damage. she tried not to glance at her brother, though out of the corner of her eye she could tell he looked more excited than he should have.

“if you embarrass me in front of my council one more time, there will be consequences.”

minkyung thought vaguely that maybe he would take her off war-duty, but she knew better than to hope. he was adamant she would carry on his legacy when it was her turn to preside over the army.

“are you listening to me?”

“yes, father.”

her father sneered. “this is your mother’s influence. her defiance is all over you.”

minkyung bit her lip to keep quiet and not make things worse. she hated when he brought up her mother, especially since she knew he did it just to get under her skin. it had been years since her mother’s death, but her father still waved it in her face like a warning. _see what happens when you don’t listen?_ minkyung always vaguely thought he had something to do with her death, though she knew he would never admit it.

“look at your brother,” her father barreled on. minkyung stayed quiet. it was best not to interrupt him when he started ranting. “he’s the perfect heir—none of that evil woman’s touch left in him. if you were more like him, i would feel safe passing my legacy down.”

her brother beamed with stubborn pride.

“may i be dismissed?” she asked.

her father’s eyes narrowed. “i don’t want to hear from you for the rest of the day. understand?”

“yes, father.” minkyung bowed her head politely and got up from her chair. without a glance back, she left the room as fast as she could to avoid the chance he thought of anything else to say.

 

 

 

 

“he’s so condescending,” minkyung complained in lieu of a greeting when she stomped up to her friends in the courtyard outside the palace’s west wing half an hour later.

kyungwon looked up at her, the tiger sitting primly by her feet blinking slowly as he did the same. they seemed almost too similar sometimes. minkyung was almost taken aback, though they had been friends for as long as she could remember.

“what’d you do this time?” she asked mildly.

minkyung scowled at her. “why do you assume i did something?”

“because you usually do something.”

“she was late to the governors’ luncheon,” nayoung said without looking up from the book resting in her lap. kyungwon’s head whirled around to look at the oldest girl.

“how do you know?” she asked.

“they were talking about it in the kitchens,” nayoung offered lightly. minkyung huffed. even the people working the kitchens were gossiping about her.

“that’s not the point,” she insisted, stomping past the tiger to take a seat on the edge of the courtyard’s fountain. he growled quietly the closer she got to kyungwon, but she knew he wouldn’t actually attack her. not without kyungwon’s order.

“ok, i’ll bite,” kyungwon said with a sigh. “what’s the point, then?”

“the point is that he purposely goes out of his way to set me up to make mistakes so he can yell at me.” she pulled her legs up under her and rested her arms on her knees. if her father were around, he would yell at her now, tell her the position didn’t look ladylike – because the woman destined to take over the largest army in the world needed to be _ladylike,_ for some reason.

“i don’t think he has the time to care that much,” kyungwon pointed out.

“you’d be surprised.”                                                                                                                   

“i know for a fact he doesn’t have the time to care that much,” nayoung said, finally glancing up at her for a second when she spoke. “have you heard about the battle they’re preparing for in the west?”

“they’re always preparing for a battle in the west,” minkyung said nonchalantly. and it was true – every day news came in about the troops and the skirmishes with the opposing army. more often than not it took place on enemy soil. minkyung didn’t want to think her father’s army was winning the war, exactly, especially since she didn’t see any plausible end in sight, but the couriers rarely announced a loss. minkyung couldn’t actually remember the last large battle that took place within her kingdom’s borders.

“no, this one is different,” kyungwon said. “they’re anticipating a huge amount of casualties. the entire army is going to be there, most likely.”

“are you going?” minkyung asked, sounding a little hurt, even to her own ears. kyungwon always told her as soon as she found out her battalion was going to be shipped out to the war efforts.

“i don’t know.” kyungwon shrugged. “i hope not. it’s going to be a bloodbath.”

minkyung nodded absentmindedly. kyungwon had been a soldier in her father’s army for a few years, ever since the day she turned sixteen. and it made sense – she had always been skilled, and her affinity for animals and her bond with her pets meant she was an invaluable asset. it was right that she should join the war efforts. but minkyung hated it, mostly. because it meant kyungwon was gone for long periods of time, and there was always the risk that she wouldn’t be coming back when she left. but it also meant she had already seen more of the world than minkyung would probably ever see. she couldn’t help but be a little envious of that.

“either way,” nayoung continued, marking her place in her book by folding down the corner of the page before she closed it and leaned forward. “your father is probably going crazy trying to prepare for that kind of publicity. he’s probably just stressed.”

“publicity?” minkyung repeated. “what about the fact that a huge amount of his people are going to die?”

“this is your dad, minky. has he ever shown compassion to his people?” kyungwon said lightly, jokingly, even though minkyung knew there was truth behind her words.

“and that’s gonna be me one day, too,” she huffed, leaning her chin on an elbow. “do you think becoming commander automatically makes you lose your soul?”

“no,” kyungwon said. “my dad says your dad was always a stone cold motherfucker, even when they were kids.”

“he could execute you for saying that about him,” nayoung pointed out.

“but he won’t. not with minky around, right?” kyungwon grinned. nayoung shook her head in exasperation.

“sure,” minkyung said.

“i’m sure you’re going to do great when it’s your turn, minkyung,” nayoung said. “but maybe the first step to that is trying harder to actually attend the meetings and pay attention when the lords are discussing strategy.”

minkyung narrowed her eyes at her. “don’t mother me,” she whined. “you know i hate when you do that.”

nayoung shrugged.

there was silence for a few seconds before kyungwon suddenly perked up and looked at minkyung. “will you help me with the animals later?” she asked. “nayoung said she has to study.”

“yeah, sure,” minkyung said, settling down. she hated how much her father put her on edge. she looked between her friends, trying to lose herself in their dynamic and forget the meeting with her father. what he thought of her didn’t matter, anyway.

she was determined to keep repeating that until it was true.

 

 

 

 

the next morning, minkyung was awoken to the sound of screams.

someone was running down the hallway outside her bedroom door, their panicked voice ricocheting off the stone walls. for a second, minkyung was brought back to the day her mother died, the maid in hysterics. but then she realized there were other voices, farther away, and this was definitely not the same as the day her mother died.

the shades were closed on the only window in her room, the sunlight blocked out by dark fabric. but they were moving in the wind, and as she focused on them minkyung thought she distinctly recognized the smell of smoke. there were voices out there, too, quieter and farther away, but the same panicked caliber as the woman in her hallway.

minkyung scrambled out of bed, almost tripping over herself as she rushed to dress herself in loose pants and a short-sleeved shirt, ridding herself of the cotton nightgown she had slept in. she was still pulling the shirt down over her abdomen as she reached the window and ripped the curtains aside.

her breath caught in her throat.

minkyung’s window was high in the castle walls, her bedroom near the top of a tower. from here she could see out over the main courtyard and over the rooftops of the smaller civilian buildings beyond the castle. she had walked through that courtyard with kyungwon and her tiger yesterday on the way to dinner. now the fountain’s waters ran red with blood. there were soldiers everywhere, their metal armour glinting in the light from the sun. mages with their hands glowing purple with magic energy. hunters shot arrows from a distance while their pets tore into enemies.

and then, the others. even from above minkyung could tell they weren’t human, didn’t look like any of the people she knew. one was outrageously tall – there were three of her father’s men faced off against him, and they looked tiny in comparison. several had green skin and tusks like an elephant’s. some were covered in fur.

beyond the battle inside the castle walls, she could see civilian buildings up in flames, black smoke curling high into the cloudless sky. the sound of screams mixed intrinsically with the sharp clang of metal, the roars of the inhuman beasts and the sounds of death.

minkyung didn’t know how long she stood at her window watching, but she finally tore her eyes away when she witnessed a young soldier fall to the ground, his throat ripped out by savage claws. she turned back to the dim light of her bedroom, her chest heaving.

if she focused hard enough she could still hear the voice of the woman in the hall. then, she remembered the hunters in the courtyard, the animals she had seen ripped apart before their masters’ eyes. she hadn’t been able to see every face in the crowd, didn’t really know if she wanted to. she had gone to school with a lot of the newest soldiers in her father’s army. her best friend was a soldier in her father’s army.

minkyung slipped her feet into comfortable shoes, the kind she could run in if the situation called for it, and started down the stairs outside her room to the main floor of the castle.

there were people running in every direction, maids and servants and the castle cooks all trying to flee at once. guards held positions in front of every door, their armour covering their faces and their swords raised defensively.

“princess, this isn’t safe!” the guard at the bottom of the staircase said when she passed, putting out an arm to try and stop her. he sounded young, his movements unsure. “you should go back to your room!”

“what’s going on?” she asked, ignoring him.

he hesitated for a second, shifting his weight and minkyung could tell he was glancing past her around the room even though she couldn’t see his eyes. “lorwynne,” he said simply.

minkyung’s breath rattled. she had figured as much, but something in her was holding out hope that maybe this wasn’t what she thought. she had heard her father spit the word in war meetings, the kingdom of the enemy said with poison in his voice. most of the time they simply called it the dark lands – people didn’t even want to say its name.

he always told her the kingdom to the west was filled with savage monsters. that the war was the only way to rid the civilized world of their terror. she knew her mother disagreed, so she never really believed him. she now thought of the beasts she had seen from her bedroom window, the boy ripped apart by inhuman claws. she had never been this close to the war before. her father always said their hometown was impenetrable.

but she only hesitated for a second in front of the guard before asking, “have you seen kyungwon?”

the guard shook his head. “i think she was stationed in the west wing last  night – where are you going? princess, it isn’t safe down here!”

minkyung ignored him, and he didn’t leave his position to follow her.

the rest of the castle was in a state of chaos. she dodged children running in fear and animals racing to meet their masters and thieves taking advantage of the opportunity to ransack the place. in another situation she might have tried to do something about them, but this time she figured there was no use. so she let them go, pretending she didn’t see them.

when she got to the west wing, the scene of destruction was devastating. one of the walls was blown out, rubble and stone flung across the floor. the sounds of battle reached her eyes before she saw anyone in the bright sunlight coming in through the wreckage. something roared, the sound deafening and beastly, and minkyung wondered if it was one of the hunters’ pets or something from the other side.

there was dust still floating in the air from the debris, making her eyes water and she blinked, trying to take in the scene. it was just like the battle in the courtyard, made a hundred times worse by the close proximity. she stepped in a pool of blood as she ran, trying hard not to wonder where it was coming from.

eventually she stopped moving, overwhelmed. there were soldiers and enemies all over, but she didn’t recognize anyone through their armour. kyungwon had complained about how uncomfortable those suits were a million times and minkyung had only laughed at her.

she really hoped by some miracle kyungwon wasn’t here.

she stood in one of the hallways between the west wing and the center of the castle, around the corner from the wrecked wall, and tried to catch her breath. she could still hear the battle, the sound deafening. someone screamed.

she heard movement in the hallway behind her and whirled around, just in time to see something swing towards her. before she could react, her vision went black and she crumpled to the ground.

 

 

 

 

the carriage lurched to one side and minkyung’s eyes flew open, her mind groggy. where was she? what had happened? there was something forcing her mouth open, and minkyung registered vaguely that she was gagged. her head was throbbing, pain radiating out from the place she’d been hit.

during the battle. she blinked quickly, trying to clear her foggy vision. she could see…trees? she was lying on her side, the forest a blur as the carriage raced along, bumping violently. she tried to sit up and immediately failed – there was coarse rope cutting into the skin of her wrists, her arms wrenched tightly behind her back.

and she wasn’t alone. she couldn’t see anyone from her position, but she could hear them. they were talking loudly, their voices gruff and guttural. she couldn’t understand anything they were saying and for a few seconds she thought her mind was too foggy from being hit. but that wasn’t the issue. as she listened, minkyung became more and more aware they were speaking a language she had never heard before, but it was definitely an intentional language.  

it was dark outside, the sky only just visible between the tops of the trees. but she could tell the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon. vaguely she wondered how long she had been unconscious.

“avhere, kulknej ayh almoukav avhere.” one voice stood out among the rest, though minkyung couldn’t understand anything that was being said.

a few minutes later the carriage lurched to a sudden stop. it bounced as the others moved around and got out, and minkyung struggled to see where they were. but it all just looked like trees, and minkyung knew that was hopeless. she had never been outside the walls of her city before.

suddenly a huge green hand wrapped around her upper arm, its grip rough and as strong as steel. minkyung was pulled up onto her feet and off the back of the carriage, stumbling limply as she tripped over herself and came face to face with the owner of the hand.

he was almost twice her size, his skin was a sickly shade of bright green. small ivory tusks protruded from the sides of his bloodstained lips. she was pretty sure his bicep alone was the size of her waist.

“leav uuk go, _princess_ ,” he snarled. she recognized that word, at least. it was practically spit at her, his growling face twisted with disgust.

they were standing at the edge of a small hill, the earth right next to them sloping down into a small cave built into the side of the rock. there were several caves, she noticed, each with crude metal bars blocking the entrance. like a makeshift prison, a crude version of the dungeon wing in the basement of her family’s castle.

then he let go, his calloused hand releasing its grip on her arm. with the other hand he pulled a knife from his belt, and minkyung’s eyes went wide before he reached behind her and slit the rope tying her hands together.

only seconds after her arms were freed, he shoved her shoulder with unrivaled force and she fell forwards with a pained grunt. the ground sloped down sharper than she’d been expecting and she hit the dirt solidly, the skin on her hands and knees torn up by the impact. the door of metal bars slammed shut behind her.

minkyung reached up to pull the gag out of her mouth, cursing. there was blood on her hands now, but she ignored the sting and wheeled around to look out the bars the way she came.

“hey!” she yelled, though no one even turned to look at her. she knew it was hopeless. “fuck,” she cursed quietly, turning back around to face her prison cell.

“you’re hurt,” a small voice said, in the language minkyung could understand. her head snapped up to look in the direction it was coming from, and it was only then minkyung realized she wasn’t in the cell alone.

sitting against the back wall was a thin girl, her fair blonde hair framing her face and resting around her elbows. she had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them as she looked at minkyung with curious eyes. both her wrists were encircled by solid stone bracelets, the material glowing softly with magic energy.

“who are you?” minkyung asked quickly, taking a step back in surprise.

the girl sat up on her knees, motioning minkyung to come closer. “my name is yaebin. look, you’re bleeding. i can help.”

“help?” minkyung repeated, unsure. “how?”

“come here,” yaebin said, her voice low. minkyung hesitated for a second but reluctantly joined her and sat down across from her, holding her wounded hands out.

yaebin nodded and touched the cuts with her fingertips, the sensation feather-light. minkyung watched as she took a deep breath before closing her eyes. her hands started to glow with purple energy, the same energy she saw powerful soldiers use in battle. unlike them, however, yaebin’s face twisted in pain.

“you’re a mage,” she breathed in awe, but yaebin wasn’t listening to her. she looked like she was in intense pain and minkyung’s heart stung watching her.

but as minkyung watched, the wounds on her hands and knees closed up, the skin stitching itself back together like new. the lump on her head where she’d been knocked out stopped throbbing, like a warmth spread under her skin and healed her.

“wiavch! ukavop avhaav mubullat illska!” someone banged on the bars of the cage and yaebin jerked backwards, the light fading from her hands and the warmth disappearing from minkyung’s skin.

minkyung turned to look outside, but the guard stopped paying attention to them as soon as yaebin stopped using her magic.

“do you know what they’re saying?” she asked quietly, glancing at yaebin.

the girl shook her head, rubbing her wrists where the bracelets glowed. her chest was heaving. “only some of it,” she admitted. “i know they called me a witch just then. but i don’t speak orcish.”

“orcish,” minkyung repeated. “they’re orcs. i’ve heard of orcs.”

yaebin stared at her and minkyung got the distinct impression she was being judged. she had never seen an orc in person. how was she supposed to know what they looked like?

“do they know what we’re saying?” she asked instead.

“i don’t think so,” yaebin shrugged. “they’re not the smartest creatures. they only understand orcish and violence.”

“no wonder my father said they were savages,” minkyung muttered, shifting around. yaebin was quiet for a long time after she spoke, and when she looked over at her, the other girl looked distant, like her mind was far away.

the sun was going down quickly and the only light in the cell came from the torches lit outside by the guard station. there were only two orcs patrolling the camp, shouting into some of the other cells. minkyung couldn’t hear any of the other prisoners, no matter how hard they tried. when they passed her cell, the orc sneered at her and said something spiteful in orcish. yaebin didn’t react.

 

 

 

 

“ariuke, ukpoilun biavch!” minkyung jerked awake, the metallic clanging of the orc hitting his weapon against the bars of the cell ringing in her ears. “or jiak'll ukavarve lat julavil lat mat.”

she sat up, her limbs aching from sleeping on the hard ground. she had laid awake almost the entire night, listening to the guards yell to one another at every opportunity to disrupt the peace. yaebin had slept through the entire thing, like she was used to it. by the time she had finally fallen into a stupor-like sleep, the sun was already breaching the horizon.

the orc snarled at her, drool dripping down his chin, before sliding a tray under the bars and stomping away. minkyung sat up on her knees and looked at the tray, hesitant. she could tell it was meant to be breakfast, but the bread was burnt black and the fruit had rotten patches.  

yaebin brushed past her and grabbed one of the rolls off the tray. she bit into it enthusiastically, not seeming to notice that it was burnt.

minkyung watched her for a few seconds, but yaebin didn’t look back.

finally, she grabbed what looked like an apple off the tray and bit into it carefully. it didn’t taste as bad as it looked, though it wasn’t like anything she would have eaten at home. she had a feeling that was going to be true for a lot of things now.

“miss kim, i see you’re settling in.”

minkyung’s head snapped up, the apple falling out of her hands. the voice was coming from outside of the prison. minkyung scrambled to her feet, approaching the bars to get a better view. the bright light by the entrance was shocking. she blinked to get used to it and found herself face to face with an elf.

she had heard about elves – though like orcs, she had never seen one in person. in her mother’s stories, they were noble and wealthy and resisted war by refusing to fight. her father said they were savage and ruthless, selfish beings who wanted to watch the world burn. now, the only thing she really noticed was that she could understand his language.

“who are you?” she asked. his hands were clasped politely in front of him, his fair hair braided down his back to reveal the pointed ears that were so recognizable.

in response, he gave her a tight-lipped smile. “my name is  navarra of the sacred three. i host this camp and tend to its war prisoners as an effort to help my kingdom win the war. nice to see you again, yaebin.”

“go to hell,” yaebin said simply, without even looking up.

“anyway, miss kim, i wanted to personally welcome you to our establishment--”

“your prison?” minkyung asked drily.

“yes, well, that is the crude way of putting it. i wanted to let you know, also, that correspondence has been sent to your father in the east. if nothing else, you can look forward to your safe return home when your father pays the ransom on your head.”

“ransom?” minkyung repeated.

“don’t worry, it isn’t unreasonable. i’m sure your father will be willing to pay two thousand gold pieces for your safe return, _princess_.”

minkyung stared at him as the elf smiled agreeably and turned around, his robe swishing about him as he walked primly away.

“princess?” yaebin asked quietly, watching him leave. “you’re a princess?”

minkyung sighed, giving a small nod as she sat back down on the dirt floor, out of the direct sunlight.

“joke’s on them, though. my father wouldn’t pay three copper pieces for my safe return,” she admitted, crossing her legs under her. she didn’t really notice until she said it aloud, but minkyung knew it was true. if she was out of the picture, her father could easily hand his legacy down to her brother instead. it would be the perfect coincidence. “he wouldn’t care if i rotted.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, my twitter is @kangyesbian19. the title and chapter titles are all taken from the lyrics of the song home by gabrielle aplin. and a vibes playlist for this fic can be found at https://open.spotify.com/user/maknaemindedbeth/playlist/6mDrKCj7D7Uf84ZuSBIG59?si=7_vjSNwZTV2WR8CbMc8Iyg.


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